New Snow Emergency signs coming to Minneapolis streets

Crews are replacing older signs that are reaching the ends of their useful service lives

Jan 14, 2013 (MINNEAPOLIS) The red and white “Snow Emergency Route” street signs found throughout Minneapolis are getting a slight makeover. In the coming weeks, drivers will see the new signs along the City’s Snow Emergency routes. Eventually, all 5,500 of these signs will be replaced.

The signs that are up now are reaching the ends of their useful service lives. Many have been around for close to 15 years, and their reflective surfaces have weathered. The new signs will have a new type of sheeting that last longer and have better reflective material, which will enhance the visibility on dark winter nights.

Another big change is that the new signs include the Snow Emergency hotline: 612-348-SNOW. When a driver is on a Snow Emergency route, they’ll be able to see and call the number to find out if a Snow Emergency is in effect.

Snow Emergency Routes are fully plowed on Day 1 of a Snow Emergency. The signs help drivers know that the shouldn’t park on these marked streets once a Snow Emergency is declared so crews can better clear the driving surface of snow and ice. Modifying the signs will make it easier for folks to follow the rules and avoid a ticket and tow.

The old Snow Emergency Route signs won’t go to waste. They’ll be taken to the City’s sign shop, where the reflective message will be removed. The sign blanks can then be reprinted with new messages and reused along Minneapolis streets. The Snow Emergency Route signs are the same size as “No Parking” signs and many others in use in Minneapolis, so there will be plenty of opportunities to reuse them.

Helping drivers stay informed about Snow Emergencies

Residents, workers and visitors have a number of ways to learn when Snow Emergencies are declared and what to do when they are. We’re advising drivers to put many of these tools to use, not just one or two. The more ways people use to learn about a Snow Emergency, the more prepared they will be to do their part, and the less likely they will be to be towed because they didn’t know one was declared.

Hotline - By calling the automated 612-348-SNOW hotline, folks can find out if a Snow Emergency has been declared. The hotline will include information on that day’s parking restrictions that drivers need to follow to avoid tickets and tows. The hotline includes information in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong.

The City’s website - Go to www.minneapolismn.gov/snow to find out whether a Snow Emergency has been declared and for a wealth of information on Snow Emergencies in many languages. Also, check out the street lookup, which lets you put in an address or a neighborhood to see where you can park during a Snow Emergency.

Phone alerts - Minneapolis uses a phone alert system to notify residents when Snow Emergencies are declared. It is an automated notification system that can place thousands of calls per hour. You can add your cellphone or unlisted landline number to the alert system by signing up at www.minneapolismn.gov/snow.

The Mail - Every fall, a Snow Emergency informational brochure is mailed to every household in Minneapolis. That’s around 167,000 addresses.

Smart phone app – The new Minneapolis Snow Emergency app tells you where you can and can’t park on Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 of a Snow Emergency to help you avoid a ticket and a tow. This app DOES NOT tell you if and when a Snow Emergency has been declared, but it’s easy to find out using the app since it features a quick call button that connects you with the Snow Emergency hotline.